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"Born Sexy Yesterday" is a trope that describes a character, typically a woman, who is physically attractive yet portrayed as childlike or naive, often with a level of intelligence or maturity that contradicts her appearance or behavior. These characters typically lack real-world experience, creating a dynamic where their sexual appeal contrasts with their innocence and unfamiliarity with social norms. This trope is prevalent in science fiction and gained critical attention after a 2017 video essay by YouTuber Jonathan McIntosh, known as Pop Culture Detective.

Overview

The Born Sexy Yesterday trope has persisted for decades but has recently gained critical attention, particularly following a 2017 video by YouTuber Jonathan McIntosh, known as Pop Culture Detective. Coined from the 1950 film Born Yesterday, where two men educate a naive showgirl, the term describes a common narrative device in science fiction, among other genres. Female characters are typically stunning yet childlike, embodying a paradox of adult sexuality paired with social naivety, and are often even artificially created. They often awaken in new and confusing worlds, relying on male counterparts for guidance. A prime example is Leeloo from The Fifth Element, who behaves and speaks like a baby, crafted to be "perfect," naive, and whimsical while being sexualized without her awareness. Other examples include characters from Tron: Legacy, Splash, and Enchanted, who cater to a male fantasy of innocence and sexual purity, positioning their male guides as "the most extraordinary man" in their lives.^[1]^[2] These characters may take forms such as robots, mermaids, or otherworldly beings, consistently displaying childlike innocence despite their mature appearances.^[3] While these characters often serve as heroines, their portrayal perpetuates harmful stereotypes about female innocence and male dominance. McIntosh's video highlights the prevalence of the trope in various films, exposing its underlying sexism and paedophilic implications.^[1]

Characteristics

The Born Sexy Yesterday trope features female characters who blend childlike innocence with adult physicality, often serving as love interests for male protagonists. A central element of this trope is the female character's ignorance, which allows the male protagonist to adopt a teacher-like role, guiding her in social norms and romantic interactions. He instructs her on socially acceptable behavior and guides her in romance and sex, despite lacking any qualifications beyond being the first person she becomes close to, leading her to idolize and fall in love with him. This dynamic, frequently described as "mansplaining," stems from deep-seated male insecurities about sex and relationships. As McIntosh notes:

"The crux of the trope is a fixation on male superiority. A fixation with holding power over an innocent girl. To make this dynamic socially acceptable, science fiction often places a girl's mind in a sexualized adult woman's body. It’s a fantasy based on fear—fear of women who are men's equals in sexual experience and romantic history, and fear of losing the intellectual upper hand to women."^[4]

The trope can take various forms, including pixies, mermaids, and dream girls, ultimately portraying a child trapped in an adult's body. Despite their innocence, these characters often excel in areas like combat or intellect, appealing to heterosexual male audiences.^[5] These women are naïve and unaware of the implications of nudity, sex, romance, or sexual interactions, and the male gaze in these films exploits this innocence.^[6] McIntosh highlights that the male lead is often a disenfranchised, “straight, red-blooded” man who struggles to connect with women of equal standing. Meanwhile, the female character, characterized by her naivety, falls for him simply because he exhibits basic human behavior, which she lacks.^[7] The women are depicted as untouched by other men’s attention, which allows the male characters to avoid comparison and the necessity for self-improvement. To legitimize this dynamic, the love interest is often represented as a grown woman.^[6]

While the trope thrives in the science fiction,^[3] it is not confined to it, and although McIntosh examines this trope within the genre, he recognizes its roots in older, racist narratives^[7] where white male adventurers "discover" indigenous women. In science fiction, colonialism is replaced by traditional masculine ideologies, with the heterosexual male hero guiding the young woman and educating her about the world, including sex and romance. His infatuation is masked as a teaching role, justifying his actions.^[6]

McIntosh likens the Born Sexy Yesterday trope to the Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype, noting that both involve disenfranchised men meeting naive women. However, he emphasizes that the Born Sexy Yesterday trope intensifies the dynamic by positioning women as submissive rather than equal partners.^[5]

McIntosh argues that the Born Sexy Yesterday trope reveals deep male insecurities regarding sex and relationships, reflecting a desire to control female identities and a fear of female agency. This trope embodies an obsession with power over innocent women, normalizing real-world sexism within the sci-fi and fantasy genres.^[5]^[8]

Examples

The Born Sexy Yesterday trope is prevalent in numerous female characters across various media, including Star Trek, Sheena, Planet of the Apes, Passengers, and Fifty Shades of Grey. While some narratives attempt to subvert its inherent sexism, the trope's presence remains evident prior to any potential subversion. Even in Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman, which was celebrated as a feminist film, Diana remains sexually inexperienced and unaware of her appeal, relying on Steve for guidance.^[1]

Historically, the Born Sexy Yesterday trope is not new. The trope's roots can be traced to classic films such as Forbidden Planet and The Time Machine. It appears in Japanese anime, indigenous narratives, and classic Hollywood sci-fi films like The New World. In Forbidden Planet, for instance, the character Alta is deceived into kissing John under the guise of it being essential for her health, echoing manipulative grooming tactics.^[1] Other examples include Quorra from Tron Legacy, described as “profoundly naive [yet] unimaginably wise.”^[8]

Leeloo from The Fifth Element is described as "probably the most quintessential example" of the Born Sexy Yesterday trope by Jonathan McIntosh. As the human vessel of a Supreme Being sent to combat the "Great Evil," her body is celebrated by male characters, with one scientist expressing a desire to photograph her naked form after she is created. Leeloo, unaware of her own sex appeal, inadvertently undresses in public. She doesn’t speak English, instead communicating in childish gibberish and emotional outbursts. Korben responds to her naïveté—such as her inability to use a camera or dry herself—with condescension. While she is a powerful character capable of great destruction, her ignorance of the world often undermines her agency.^[4]

Mihaela Mihailova, an Assistant Professor in the School of Cinema at San Francisco State University, observes that Alita, the cyborg in Alita: Battle Angel, embodies the Born Sexy Yesterday trope in both her design and behavior. After being revived by Dr. Dyson Ido from a scrapyard, Alita's wide-eyed, innocent look emphasizes her naïveté as she navigates her new life with the guidance of her father figure and love interest.^[9]

Television shows like Game of Thrones (with Daenerys and Viserys) and Stranger Things (featuring Mike and Eleven) exemplify the trope. The stereotype of the socially awkward "nerd" is also prevalent in The Big Bang Theory, where characters like Penny and the female guest stars exhibit Born Sexy Yesterday traits while Leonard and Howard embody the dominant creator role.^[1]

Male representations

The Born Sexy Yesterday trope can also manifest in reverse, although male representations within the trope's framework are scarce, given its connections to insecurities surrounding masculinity. Typically, these male characters are depicted as naïve and socially awkward, making them less attractive as sexual interests. Unlike their female counterparts, they are not objectified; their ineptitude is framed humorously rather than pitiably.^[1] In films like Big and Blast from the Past, male characters display similar traits but often become the punchlines. This discrepancy may arise from the general lack of appeal for women regarding inexperienced adolescent boys.^[5] While films such as Edward Scissorhands and The Shape of Water feature male characters with naïveté, they lack the sexualized portrayal characteristic of female Born Sexy Yesterday figures. For instance, in Edward Scissorhands, Edward engages in genuine love without deception, with relationships developing in spite of his inexperience.^[1]

Hot Frosty, a film about a snowman coming to life, is an example of a movie in which the Born Sexy Yesterday trope is applied to a male character without losing its highly sexualized aspects.

Inversion of the trope

According to writer Elvia Wilk, the Born Sexy Yesterday trope can be contrasted with Lynn Hershman Leeson's works, which explore themes of identity and agency in innovative ways. Her characters often embody a more complex understanding of femininity, as seen in Teknolust, where the protagonist, Ruby, not only seduces men but also teaches them, signifying sexual liberation rather than dependence.^[8]